The Markley's: May 2013

I posted a few pictures from Easter a few weeks ago, but I left out a big thing that happened to us over that weekend. At the time, we were still trying to get more information and there was still so much going on that I decided to wait. Now, I feel like we can share...

Good Friday started off as a rather normal day. My grandparents, Herb and Barbara had come to Georgetown and all 5 of us were headed to Yorktown that day to celebrate Easter with Cam's family. We loaded up early and left town. My Granddad had mentioned a few times over the 24 hours prior that his head really hurt and that he just didn't feel great. The usual spunky, talkative and happy person we know him as seemed more tired, out of energy and not himself.

We arrived in Yorktown and ate lunch and afterward he seemed really pale and somewhat dizzy. He told Jeff (Cam's stepdad, who is a PA) that his head "really hurt" and that he thought he should lie down. At this point, we started to worry; he isn't one to complain and something seemed off. Jeff and Drenda (who is a nurse) decided we should go to the ER. When we arrived, they performed a CT scan and found a bleed in his brain. We were in the small town of Cuero, where they don't have full hospital capabilities, so after much discussion they decided to transport him to San Antonio by ambulance. We were all in somewhat of a state of shock. I called Beth (my aunt) and she immediately got on a plane to meet us in San Antonio.

When we arrived there, we were lucky to have both a neurosurgeon and cardiologist who were able to provide us with a significant amount of information. You see, my granddad had bypass surgery many years ago and has metal valves. Therefore he must take a blood thinner at all times to keep his heart working properly...which also can cause or encourage brain bleeds. He also experienced a minor stroke last year which left him with minor physical changes, but thankfully no mental changes. In Lubbock, where they live, he was under the care of both a neurosurgeon and cardiologist. He had complained to BOTH of them several times about his very painful headaches, yet no CT was every performed. He was sent to a pain management doctor, he was sent to a chiropractor, he was sent all over town, but no one ever thought to take a look at his brain. It was almost shocking to me, and to my in-laws, who are both medical professionals that a CT was never performed. So here we were, 7 hours from his home, hoping and praying for answers.

Over the next few days, he was taken off of Coumadin (blood thinner) temporarily, which immediately lessened his headache and subsequently, lessened and stopped the bleed. But, that wasn't the end of the road. Knowing he had no choice but to go back on a blood thinner, they began a fine balance of how much blood thinner he could take to keep his heart properly functioning without restarting or increasing his brain bleed. He stayed in the hospital in San Antonio for 5 days and was then transported to Lubbock by ambulance (a very loooooooooooong 9ish hour ambulance ride). After a couple of days in Lubbock, his bleed worsened and they had no choice, but to take him into surgery. They drilled two small holes on the side of his head and drained the blood. He spent a couple of weeks in two hospitals there and a few days in a rehabilitation facility and now has home health attending to him a few days a week. I wish I could say that all is well but the truth is that he and my Grandma (and my aunt) are in a constant state of looking for the best doctors (which he obviously did not have), figuring out the best medicines and trying to get him back (or at least close to) what he used to be. We were in Lubbock for my cousin Jill's wedding a few weeks ago and he was feeling pretty down from the seizure medication they had him on, but that seems to be improving after they stopped the medication. He will have a follow up CT later this week.

There is not one man in this world who has been more of a role model, confidant, inspiration and influence to me. In so many ways, I see myself in him. He has taught me to commit myself to whatever I choose to do and his advice has taken me so far in multiple parts of my life. In so many ways, I am so thankful to have him and my Grandmother play such huge roles in my life and now in Camden and Pax's lives. Seeing him in an ambulance was almost surreal and shook us all. Easter is often seen as a time to remember what we are thankful for and we certainly saw that happen this year. God has given us the one thing we asked for this Easter...more time with an incredibly important person. What would have happened if we had not gone to Yorktown? If we had not gone to the ER that day? Thankfully, we will never know. Please continue to add Granddad to your prayers.